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Werner Drasche
Werner Drasche is an antagonist in the series, described as an "arcane lifeleech." First introduced in the novel Hunted, Drasche is described as an Austrian who is or at least was once human, but was altered by some kind of alchemical experiment and now has the ability to drain the lifeforce of living things from a distance. His powers can be used without any visual indication and against anything alive in his vicinity, including humans, animals, plants and bacteria. He can consume small amounts with barely any noticeable effect on his targets other than fatigue, or can kill a person in a matter of seconds by draining them completely. The range of this power is not known, but believed to be line of sight. The lifeforce he drains allows him to stop his aging process, gain superhuman strength, and heal his body from injury. As told through Leif Helgarson, Drasche claims to have been created by accident, a by-product of 16th century research intended to find the Philosopher's stone. He claimed to have killed his alchemist creator (possibly unintentionally) in the first few minutes of obtaining his new powers. He is a close, trusted ally of Theophilus and is working with him to kill Atticus, though his motive for doing so is uncertain since he was born long after all Druids in the world were believed to be dead. Granuaile raises the possibility that he and Theophilus are lovers. Drasche's appearance is highly distinctive. His entire head (and likely the rest of his body) is covered in alchemical symbols and formula. He also is noted as having a bizarrely ostentatious and somewhat dated fashion sense, styling himself as a "dandy." When confronting Atticus on the beach of Calais, he is wearing an expensive suit with a paisley waistcoat and a soda-pop orange cravat that is a small running joke in the books, repeatedly being described by different characters as "hideous." In aiding Theophilus's vendetta against Atticus, Drasche believes that modern military force is the best plan of action, employing mercenaries with firearms and as well as using a gun himself. When first appearing in Calais, he attempts to simply shoot Atticus, though he is subdued by the druid binding his suit to the ground and cleaving off his hand. Drasche then attempts to draim him, but Atticus's cold iron amulet renders him immune. Rather than kill Drasche, Atticus points out to him that he has clearly been manipulated by Leif given that he was told where to find Atticus but not told of the druid's powers, and the likely intent was for Atticus to kill him so that Leif could take his place with Theophilus within their command structure. He offers Drasche a deal, that he will return his hand to him and release him, and Drasche will leave him alone while he decides what he wishes to do about Leif. Drasche agrees to the deal, and demonstrates his ability to reattach his limbs and heal extremely quickly. Drasche is mentioned in the epilogue of Shattered, having murdered Atticus's contact Craig "Kodiak" Black in broad daylight and giving a witness a note that reads, "Atticus. We must talk. Find me. Werner." In the short story A Prelude to War, Atticus goes to see the seer Mekera, and learns that Drasche forced her to divine the location of Kodiak Black, and let her live knowing Atticus would return. Drasche does indeed return, and rather than talk as his note suggested, he immediately tries to shoot Atticus, who escapes by shifting planes. In Staked, Atticus gets Drasche's phone number from Leif and sets up a meeting in Toronto. As before, Drasche brings two machine-pistols and attempts to shoot Atticus again. He succeeds in injuring him badly, but this time Atticus springs a trap: Alerting a friendly iron elemental to Drasche. The iron elemental covers Drasche's body and literally eats the magic out of his tattoos, rendering him a normal human. He is then arrested for attempted murder by the Canadian police. Drasche is waiting in an ambush in Prague later, apparently having escape from the police, and again attempts to shoot Atticus. Leif later reveals that Drasche tapped his phone and must have overheard that Atticus was coming to Prague in search of Theophilus. Drasche appears one last time in Flagstaff at the house where Owen Kennedy has set up a new grove. He brings a team of vampires with him and attempts to kill everyone in the house with firearms, but is caught off guard when there are 14 werewolves present. His team is overwhelmed and he makes a desperate last stand, killing Hal with a silver bullet before being torn apart by the rest of the pack. Trivia When first encountering Atticus, when asked why he is hunting him, Drasche replies in German: "Manche Leute muss man einfach umbringen," which means "Some people you just have to kill." After lopping off his gun-hand, Atticus retorts "Manchen Leuten muss man einfach ihre Hände abhacken," meaning "Some people you just have to chop off their hands." Category:Antagonists Category:Supernatural Beings